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Thursday, November 14, 2013

Drug Overdose Poisoning Deaths Tripled

New research has shown the staggering rise in drug overdose poisonings in the United States over the last three decades. In fact, drug poisonings have tripled from both illegal narcotics and prescription medications, according to U.S. News & World Report.

It is not surprising the new study has found that the majority of overdoses every year are the result of prescription drug use.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has, for the first time, looked at the percentage of overdoses on the county level. CDC researchers determined that rates of poisonings of more than 10 in 100,000 rose from 3 percent in 1999, to 54 percent in 2009. The article points out that all previous studies examined rates at the state or national level.

“Mapping death rates associated with drug poisoning at the county level may help elucidate geographic patterns, highlight areas where drug-related poisoning deaths are higher than expected, and inform policies and programs designed to address the increase in drug-poisoning mortality and morbidity,” lead researcher Lauren Rossen said in a statement.

Researchers found that drug poisoning death rates rose by almost 400 percent in rural counties and by almost 300 percent in urban counties.

The highest rates were seen in the Pacific, Mountain, and East South Central regions of the United States. The West North Central region showed the lowest number of poisonings, the article notes.

The findings are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.